Phoenix diocese weighs in as Pope Francis OKs blessings for same-sex couples

Pope Francis officially made it possible to bless same-sex couples and 'irregular' unions, as long as they do not send mixed messages about the church's teaching on marriage and do not occur within a liturgical celebration.

On Monday, the Vatican's doctrine office released a declaration explaining a change in the church's understanding of blessings. This shift comes in response to a letter sent by Francis to two conservative cardinals, less than three months ago, suggesting that blessings for same-sex couples could be considered under specific conditions. These conditions include ensuring that the blessings are spontaneous or personal and not part of liturgical ceremonies.

According to the office, the declaration was meant to serve as a tribute to faithful believers, including gay couples, who "worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church," the declaration read.

The declaration clarifies that the letter from Francis offered an 'innovative contribution' that expanded the traditional understanding of blessing within the Church's doctrine.

"It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage," the declaration states.

In a statement to The Arizona Republic on Tuesday, Bishop John Dolan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix reiterated that the church's teaching on marriage remains unchanged. However, he noted that ministers have the option to bestow the blessings outlined in the document as a means of providing spiritual support to couples, irrespective of their sexual orientation.

"Ordained ministers can make an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives," the diocese's communication office said in the statement.

While the document reaffirms the church's enduring teaching on marriage as a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman, it emphasizes that blessings for gay and remarried couples should not be refused. It suggests that those seeking the blessing should acknowledge themselves as 'destitute and in need of help' without seeking validation of their status. Instead, they are encouraged to 'beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit,' according to the document.

The doctrine office also stated couples do not need to undergo an extensive examination of prior moral perfection as a condition to receive the blessing.

The document says blessings in this form serve as a prayer to seek God's help and offer believers a means to increase their trust in God. “The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live,” the declaration reads.

The document represents Pope Francis' latest expression of welcome toward the LGBTQ community, an intent in which he has distinguished himself from his predecessors in the eyes of Catholic followers.

The document stressed that although same-sex couples and irregular unions are living in a state of sin according to the church's doctrine, it states that subjecting the pastoral gesture to moral prerequisites "could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that forms the basis for the gesture of blessing."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vatican OKs blessings for same-sex couples; Phoenix diocese weighs in